Combination piano jack and truck



April 24, 1928. 4 1,667,267

v E. S. PITCHER COMBINATION PIANO JACK AND TRUCK Filed April 12. 1926 -mpl Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES ELBRIDGES. PITCHER, OF AUBURN, MAINE.

COMBINATION PIANO CK AND 'rnucx.

Application filed A ril 12, 1926. Serial No. 101,522.

The present invention consists of a combination piano ackand truck the ob ect of Wl1lCl1 .18 to equip a piano with means to simultaneously elevatethe piano and urge.

transportation means below the latter whereby the piano can be moved from place to place in a facile manner and with a minimum manual effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of the above mentioned character which is preferably affixed to the piano but in a manner which will in no way detract from the appearance of the latter or unduly encumber the same and is especially adapted for use on pianos used in schools or like places where it is frequently necessary to transfer the pianos from one room to an other and where the moving must be'done by children or female teachers.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the present preferred'form as described in the following specification, wherein 2- v Fig.1 is a rear elevational view of a piano illustrating theapplication of the present invention thereon Fig. 2 is a fragmentary and cross sectional view taken vertically through the piano case at the point where the truck is mounted therein.

Fig. 3 is a similar View showingthe present invention in top plan with the handle removed therefrom; and

Fig. ll is an elevational view of the attachment plate adapted for mounting on the back of the piano.

In order to illustrate the application of the present invention I have, in Fig. 1, illus trated a piano in rear elevation, as indicated at 5. The. piano may be of standard upright construction and is held in a position above the floor or other supporting base by casters 6 in a manner well known in the'art.

The present invention consists especially of a rock shaft 7 which extends transversely through the piano adjacent the bottom of the latter and has its terminals journaled in the baseboards of the piano, as advantageously illustrated in Fig. 2. In order to prevent longitudinal displacement of the shaft a collar 8 is mounted thereon which is susceptible of adjustment but is normally held in a fixed position by a set screw 9. One end of the shaft 7 extends appreciably beyond the rear of the piano and has a plate 10 mounted thereon the latter being fixedly secured to the rear of the piano in an obvious manner. The outer face of the plate is provided with anabutment 11 which, in

the present instance, is equipped with an inclined or oblique face 12 for a purpose hereinafter set forth. The end of the shaft 7 which extends beyond the rear of the piano is also equipped with a bifurcated frame 13, a roller 14 being journaled between the fur: cationsof the frame. The frame issues into a socket 15 which latter detachably receives one end of an operating handle .16 through the medium of which the shaft 7 is rocked in order to either elevate the roller 14 into a position above the supporting baseflupon which the piano is mounted or else to urge the roller into impingement against the supporting base for the purpose of elevating the piano. It will be noted that the shaft 7 extends through the piano at a point appreciably spaced from the center line of the latter to permit one end of the piano, constituting the advancing end, to beelevated and thereby clear sills or other objects over which it may be desired to move the piano. The inner end of the shaft 7 has a bifurcated frame 17 mounted thereon which is detachably engaged to the shaft by a set serew18; A -roller19 is journale'd between the 'furcations of the frame 16 and is movable concuri provided the piano with a. base 22 having a stud 23 extending therefrom, this base and stud being mounted on one end of the piano. On an'intermediate portion of the piano I provide a second base and stud, genera-lly designated 24. When one of the openv ings 21 is engaged with the stud 24 the truck is held in an elevated position thereby permitting the piano to be supported in a nor-v mal manner on the castors 6. When the handle is moved on its axis so as to engage one of the openings 21 with the stud 23, as indicated by the dotted lines, the truck is moved downwardly and the rollers let and 19 urged into engagement with thefloor or other supporting base thereby elevating the piano and permitting it to be transported on said rollers in an apparent manner. When the piano is thus elevateditis'apparentthat it may be transported with facility even by a. child and in view of the particularlocation ot the device the pianorniaybe moved over obstacles without difliculty and may be guided at the option of the .mover. The abutment 11 i siloeated in the path of movement of the-socket and of the frame 13 so thatonovementof the handle, tor the purpose o l elevatingithe truck, is limited in \ievnot the factuthat the socket end of the frame willcontact with the oblique face 12 of the said abutment. This prevents the true-k from .moving upwardly in the piano to a point where it may .come in contact with some of theoperatfngparts-of the lat ter.

It is to be understood that I have illustrated herein only a preferred form of the invention 'in order to show the principle of theinvention'and the theory of its operation. It is, of course, to be understood that numerous ehanges inay be made therein within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

hat v is claimed is .1. In .a combined piano truck and jack, the combination with a plane, of a roel; shaft extending "transversely through "the piano adjacent the bottom of the latter, and roller-carrying members fixed on said shaft and movable concurrently with the shaft for elevating the rollers into the plane of the -piano or for lowering the rollers below the bottom ot'the piano, one of said members having'a'socket for'the insertion therein of an operating handle.

2.111 combination with a piano, :1 rock shaftjournaled transversely of the bottom of thepiano and in proximity to one end thereof, laterally projecting roller-catrying members fixed on said shai'tfan operating handle for rocking the shaft to:alternately elevate a'nttlower the said roller-carrying members, abutment means-on the piano located'inthe path'ot' movement of one of the said rollerrarrying members fonrestricting the upward movement o't'zthellatterto'a predetermined limit,'andi lo'eliin gmeans enga geable with the said operating handle when the said roller-carrying 'niembers -are in lowered orjacking position.

In combination with -a piano, a shaft journaletl in The base of the piano, a roller tran'ie' fixed'onthe'shatt at one end of the latter, and a roller "'l'ranie fixedly mounted on the other "end of "tl'iesh-a'tt, said frame issuing into a handle receiving socket lor rotatingthe shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony-whereof 1 aifix my seal.

ELBBJIDGE s. PlTGl-IER. n. 8,] 

